March 2017 Upper Midwest Tornado Outbreak
Early March 13, 2017, a warm front attached to an upper level low traversed across the Eastern Plains, bringing with it light rain showers and abnormally high temperatures for the Upper Midwest in states such as Ohio and Indiana. This warm air was quickly disturbed, when, that night, a cold front swept through the area and instantly dropped low-altitude temperatures by as much as 30 degrees, resulting in the formation of several thunderstorms in Illinois, Kentucky, and Western Indiana. On March 14, storms continued to fire up early in the morning, leading the NOAA to issue a High Risk Day of tornadoes when the first tornado, an EF0, was confirmed in Santa Claus, Indiana, at 11:17 A.M. EST. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was issued for the area eleven minutes prior, and soon after, a plethora of tornadoes developed in a variety of neighboring states over the next several days. In total, the outbreak lasted for over 48 hours and resulted in 56 confirmed tornadoes that resulted in billions of dollars of devastation and several fatalities. The first severe storm warning was issued for Washington County, Indiana after an EF0 tornado, the first of the outbreak was spotted just outside Santa Claus. A tornado warning was issued soon after. Throughout the day, more of the storm systems along the front became severe as characteristics of severe thunderstorms became more apparent. At the head of the front in Eastern Illinois and Western Indiana, straight-line winds exceeding 70 MPH caused power outages and downed trees, mainly in the Southern parts of these states. A house in North Vernon was the only one reported to have suffered damage from the storm, having had a blown-in garage door and shattered window. Soon after, a funnel cloud was reported in 4.8 miles away in Butlerville, Indiana, having been spotted near E Pike Street, close to the North Spur of Indiana's Historic Pathways. This pattern continued throughout the next several days as storms continued to fire and produce severe tornadoes across the region, eventually resulting in one of the most severe and devastating outbreaks of tornadoes the Upper Midwest had seen since the Super Outbreak of April 1974. Total Tornadoes Confirmed Outbreaks by State Indiana The storms were most intense in Indiana, resulting in the highest amount of tornadoes in that state opposed to any other during the outbreak. In addition to the list of tornadoes (see below), the storms themselves caused moderate to severe damage with strong, 70 MPH straight-line winds, large hailstones, and flash flooding due to nearly eleven inches of torrential rainfall. The storms themselves resulted in minor damage to homes and caused downed trees and electrical wires as well, resulting in sporadic power outages across Southern Indiana, where a multitude of violent tornadoes were reported, including the incredibly destructive Madison, Indiana EF5, one of the only two EF5 tornadoes that occurred during the outbreak. In total, Indiana suffered the most during the outbreak, having suffered over $200 billion in damages as well as losing several hundred lives. Kentucky Category:Future Tornado Outbreaks Category:Hypothetical Tornadoes Category:Tornado Outbreaks Category:Tornadoes in the United States Category:Hypothetical Outbreaks Category:EF0 Category:EF1 Category:EF2 Category:EF3 Category:EF4 Category:EF5 Category:Hypothetical Disasters Category:Future Tornadoes Category:Hypothetical Events Category:Hypothetical Tornado Outbreaks Category:Sassmaster15 Category:Future Outbreaks Category:Devastating Tornado Outbreaks Category:Devastating Tornadoes